Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Just a quick note to get you updated on what's going on in BEEEE-UUU-TEE-FUL Tennessee...

The weather starts out in the high 20's - low 30's each day --BRISK might too mild a word. Calling the wind "biting" might be too mild a word, too! But I'm not complaining. It's been bright sunshine and beautiful scenery.

Today was our first day of actual games. But since our first game wasn't until 2pm, we had a bit of free time this morning. We decided to take the girls to a nursing home in town to do a little something for someone besides ourselves. At first some of the girls were a bit skeptical about this activity. On the way to the nursing home, they practiced a few songs to sing. They are ALWAYS singing on the way to and from games...so this seemed a natural fit.

After arriving at the nursing home and making sure we would be welcome (of course we were welcomed with open arms!), the girls started out by visiting with a sweet lady that one of the girls knew. Seeing all eight girls packed into Mrs. Senter's half of the room was pretty interesting. But then... they started to sing and I stood mesmerized by the sweet sound and the look on their faces. It was amazing.

After singing a few songs for Mrs. Senter's and her insisting on hugging EVERY girl, we moved on to another room. As soon as we would finish in one room, the nurses and aides would hurry us to Mrs. So and So's room "who would really like to hear you sing." At each room, one or two of the girls would introduce themselves as a volleyball team from Florida who were playing in a tournament on the mountain. Then they would ask if they would mind if we sang for them. The residents were always enthusiastic and seemed to really enjoy each visit.

We were able to go from room to room for about an hour. When time was up and I had to insist on leaving (we HAD to go or miss our game!) the girls were disappointed. As we got back in the car, ALLLLLL the girls were so excited and were asking if we could do this again -- even when we got home! The girls were so warm and sweet to these people it was hard to keep from crying!

Yes, I know what some of you are thinking (as usual)..."Meggy-girl you cry ALLL the time anyway!" Well, let me tell you, the other mom with us was crying, too! It was so wonderful. I've never been more proud of those girls. It was a special time that I won't soon forget. I'm still crying just thinking about it!~

Now, for other news that is important...but in terms of God's world, not nearly as important as the start of our day...

We won all three of our matches today. We even won the match we played at 9:30 tonight! Personally, I think it's pretty rotten that they make these girls get up and have breakfast between 7am and 7:30am --then expect them to play volleyball that late at night! Our game didn't actually start until about 10pm. This is so hard on our girls, but we survived!

Winning all our matches seeded us #1 in our pool (or group for you non-team sport people). Tomorrow starts the actual tournament where we have to really buckle-down and play hard. It is a double-elimination tournament, so if we lose 2 matches, we're done and headed home. If we win both our matches tomorrow, we won't have to play again until Friday. But if we lose even one, we have to win a bunch more games in the Loser's Bracket before Friday in order to win the tournament.

Sounds complicated, but that's just because I write weird. Sorry...my brain has been up since 6am and it's after midnight...so I'm surprised I can type at all! But I just had to tell you about the nursing home. I'll have some pictures AND video when I get back home.

Please keep us in your prayers!

Stay tuned!

P.S. MamaWeso hasn't pushed me down any steps so far!

P.S.S. Hey Cousin Sue, the road up Dayton Mountain has a sign "Historic Trail of Tears" Ever been here? I'll have to look for more info to send along to you!

Monday, October 27, 2008

I'm having such strong bloggy-withdrawal pains, I must post SOMETHING...just to stop the tremors every time I pass by an unoccupied computer.

We had a fabulous weekend at the beach. St. Augustine was old...but still fun! As soon as I get home I'll post some great pictures. Do you know what you get when you mix 2.5 teenagers, 2 adults, and 3 digital cameras? A LOT OF PICTURES!!!! Many of the very same pose -- just from 3 different cameras. The 2.5 teens also made some interesting videos -- and we even wrote a great Bud Light commercial on our way home...it's hilarious!

Tonight we arrived in Tennessee for the volleyball tournament and it is COLD! Wahoo! I love it! From the warm, muggy beach to the cold, crisp mountains -- all in 24 hours! (How's that for an 'exclaiming' paragraph?!!)

I'm loving the comments on the previous post. Quick! Go post some more comments!!!

Since I'm staying with a friend here in TN, I'm hoping I'll have a bit of time for computer access. Maybe I can keep you updated on the tournament...

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

For some reason this week, I've had very little to share with you folks. Not that we haven't been as busy as usual...just nothing of the exciting, humiliating, or interesting variety...well, in the interest of the Truth In Blogging rule, I guess I would have to say there HAVE been some of those incidents, but I'm not allowed to blab about it to the world...sorry! I've been pretty busy because I've been working more hours this week (did I tell you how wonderful my job is?) since I'll be out of town all next week.

Another big OH! YEAH!! this week is that my van is out of rehab and will be ready to hit the straight (and curved) road sometime this week. Woohoo! I've been without my own wheels since August!

Me and Bex have kind of been in countdown mode...getting ready to head to the beach this weekend for our annual G-Girls weekend. It won't be quite as fun this year because of a few gals that won't be able to come this year...bummer. But the rest of us will try to suffer through a sweet, relaxing weekend without them. Here's a few pictures from a few years ago... We always have a GREAT time! Won't you wish you were there?

We'll be back home Sunday night. At that point, we'll be frantically washing clothes and re-packing to head to Dayton, TN for the National Association of Christian Athletes national volleyball tournament on Monday.

Now, since I care so much about YOU, my faithful readers, I feel like I must offer you some really good bloggy fodder. I'll direct you to one of my new favorite blogs. This one is Beachy Mimi. She is the Queen B's mother and is an absolute hoot! Check out this post...umm...but empty your bladder first...its hysterical! So...go read Beachy Mimi and then come back and tell me what you thought about it!

Monday, October 20, 2008

Folks, it was a hard weekend...so it's been hard to get the gumption to write about it here. But I promised an update --so an update you shall have.

After Friday's win, our girls played in the Championship game on Saturday. Focus seemed really hard to come by for several of the players. Although I must say --in a totally unbiased fashion--that Bex played a great game. Yes, mistakes were made, but she was wonderfully consistent throughout. Bex had a personal best, 12 kills. She played with her whole heart, so it was a bit bruised and battered when they did not come out with a win. The Team Mom had a hard time, too. Being 2nd in the conference isn't quite as sweet as first...obviously. We had to keep remembering to "Praise You in the Storm." It was a tough day.

On a brighter note, we are still going to the National Tournament in Dayton next week. The team that beat us on Saturday will be playing in our same division so we may get a re-match up there. We're counting on it! They will still have OUR banner, but we will be able to reap some satisfaction if we can beat them there.

Sunday, we enjoyed a wonderful morning of worship at our church. A young 21 year old from my Sunday School class was the featured soloist in the choir and touched my heart with a song about there being no orphans of God. It was beautiful. Then Bex played the piano during the offertory and did a wonderful, mistake-free rendition of "Sanctuary." Then we headed to Sunday School and had a wonderful lesson from Romans 7 about how we all still struggle with sin in our lives and how our awesome Savior, Jesus Christ, provides the answer to our struggles.

After a quick pancake lunch, I settled in for a sweet nap-time. After waking, I enjoyed the end of the NASCAR race with our favorite, Dale Jr., coming in 2nd. It was a nice quiet afternoon. Bex and I topped off the day with a moonlight walk in the crisp, cool evening air. It just doesn't get any better than that, folks!

Oh, one more thing! Congratulations to "Mar" from Light 'N The Way is the winner of my very first giveaway! Her FIRST comment on my blog and she wins. Who'd a thunk it? Bex truly drew the winning entry out of her hat.

One more thing, you can check out Lea's blog over at Blog It All and see the pictures from our grits fest the other day. We had a great time... Oh! and here's a big shout-out to my friend, Kara, over at Bella Blog...glad she's back into the blogosphere!

Saturday, October 18, 2008

It's early. I'm wide awake. I think it's that getting old thingy again that won't let me sleep late --even when I can! Lea over at her blog thinks it happens the day you turn 41, but I'm not sure about that.

Since it's so quiet around here, I thought I would post a short note to let you know that even though I haven't blogged since Wednesday, I'm still alive and kicking! It's been a busy end of the week!

On Thursday morning, we had our September to Remember blackberry grits fest at Lea's house. It was my first time meeting Lea (and Lori) and it was totally worth the effort of posting every day in September. Lea is as much fun in person as she is on her blog! We took pictures, but they haven't appeared in the blogosphere yet. Lori impressed and inspired us with her scripture memorization. She REALLY learned those first 2 chapters (plus) in Ephesians. So we had our scripture right along with our grits! We had a wonderful time and the grits, orange scones and fellowship were wonderful!

Yesterday afternoon (Friday), our volleyball team headed to Bainbridge, GA for the first game in the Conference Final Four tournament. Varsity volleyball matches consist of the best 3 of 5 games. A game is 25 points, but you must win by 2 points, so sometimes the score goes over 25. That's what happened yesterday. Our girls seemed to sleep through the first game...but we managed to win, 27-25. For some reason the whole team was just out of sorts and really discombobulated. After the first game, they settled in and played more of their game. We won the next games 25-15 and 25-16.

The other team had a fabulous defense, but didn't generate much offense. We usually call these type teams "bump ball" teams. All they do is concentrate on getting the ball back over the net, not really trying to earn the point. They seemed to be able to defend anything we hit over. Our team, on the other hand, tries to play both offense and defense.

My Bex led the team in kills (for the first time) yesterday! She had 10 kills. No, they aren't talking about a mafia kill; that word has bad connotations. But, a kill is a good thing in volleyball. Yet, a kill can be very violent...because it's usually a ball hit very hard and fast. You earn a kill anytime you hit the ball over the net and it hits the ground without the other team being able to play it. Yesterday, kills were very hard to come by--the other team kept returning those hard balls! Bex had 10 kills, but she probably had at least 40 more good hits that they returned. I was afraid her arm was going to fall off she was hitting them so hard!

It's really hard to be the scorekeeper for these games because scorekeepers aren't allowed to cheer. Scorekeepers are part of the officiating team and must be unbiased (yeah, right...) Being the scorekeeper, I'm up close and personal with the game, but I have to keep my mouth shut. This is why I'm a scorekeeper--so I don't embarrass my daughter. One of the other moms told me she loves watching me...let's just say, I cheer very creatively, and leave it at that. But it is so easy to get caught up in the moment and get carried away. It is VERY hard when your precious girl is on the team and having a tough day -- or a good day! Let's just say I'm such an encourager and it's hard to stay quiet. Yeah. That sounds good. A whole lot better than saying I'm a loud mouth and just can't keep my trap shut!

Yesterday, I actually saved a point for our team! The wrong girl went back to serve and I was able to signal the coach in time to stop it, thus, not giving the other team a point as penalty. Yes, I am a very important part of the team...oh yeah!

Today is the championship game. We watched the other team play yesterday afternoon and they are pretty good. If we play OUR game, we will win. If not, it won't be pretty. So...if you're reading this before 2pm EST, say a little prayer that our girls will play to the best of their abilities today. You don't have to pray for us to win...just pray that they will play as well as they can...that's all we need to be the Champions today. And, if you feel froggy, you can pray for the scorekeeper. She needs to stay focused and do her part today, too. Oh, and she needs to keep her mouth shut, too. You can pray for that.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

I'm definitely NOT a kitchen diva --but I do like anything that makes my time in the kitchen easier. That's why I just have to tell you about my new, handy-dandy-scraper-chopper thingy! I love it!

I'm sure they've probably been around for years and years, but I have only seen it recently as I was surfing by a cooking show on the PBS Create channel. Since then I started looking for one and finally found one in Publix last week.

This is what I'm talking about...

It's a cool little tool that you can scrape with or chop with --it's really pretty sharp -- then just scoop it all up at once and throw it in the pan! It's fantastic when you're working with any "little" stuff, like chopped vegetables or meat you've cut up. One big swish and you've picked it all up! No more trying to hold it against the knife and dropping bits of it everywhere.

I made a trillion sandwiches for the volleyball tournament last weekend. After smearing the P, B and J or Egg Salad all over the bread, I used this to chop off the edges of the crust, then cut it in half. Then, I would just scoop up all the crumbs and dump them in a big bowl for the dogs. My workspace stayed so clean. It was way cool!

So that's my Works for Me Wednesday idea. If you want a BUNCH more, head on over to Rocks in My Dryer to check out other great ideas!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

I don't know about you, but I cannot abide animals on my kitchen counters or anywhere I eat or work with food. Specifically, this cat on MY counter! This is Squeaky. You can meet him here and see some of the crazy places he sleeps.

About every two weeks or so, Squeaky decides on a new 'spot' to spend his time. He will come in each day, eat, hang out with Bex a bit, then head to his 'spot' to sleep, wherever that is at the time. Sometimes, its on the floor by our bed, sometimes its on Bex's bed or in her dresser drawer. Most times, its right in a high traffic area so we have to step over him.

He knows he isn't allowed on the counters or tables and he gets in BIG! trouble each time we catch him up there. Yet, for some unknown reason, this week he has decided that my rolling, butcher-block "counter" is his chosen spot--no matter how many times he's swatted off and immediately evicted outside. Ewwwww!!! This is where I do most of my prep-work for cooking...double-Ewwwww!!! So, I just spent the last 15 minutes cleaning it with Clorox before mixing up some yummy chicken salad.

I'm not sure why you needed to know that...but I guess it just grossed me out so much, I just had to share!!! You know...just keeping it real...so that you don't think everything is always peachy here at The Pine.

Elementary Drivel:This morning I was reading one of my favorite blogs and noticed she had a button on her side-bar that rates your blog as to the reading level. Since hers said it was 'College Level - Undergrad", I thought hmmm...I use some big words occasionally, I'll just check on mine. (You can check yours here.) You know what it said about Lonesome Pine? Look at this!

***So! Here's a question. Should I be insulted? Should I be happy? Should I be embarrassed that I write on an elementary level? Is that a good thing? Or a bad thing? Hmmmm....

This leads me right into my first giveaway. Leave me a comment and tell me what you think about this rating --AND if I don't know you, leave me a way to contact you. I'll put all commenters names in a hat and pull one for the winner. So be sure to get your comment in! I'll draw a name on Friday night when we get home from the Tournament.

THE PRIZE?

Your choice of an {almost new} book-- These are new...but have a name in the front. (Is that tacky? Hey! I ain't Rockefeller?)Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian -OR-A Woman and Her God by Beth Moore, Jill Briscoe, Sandra Wilson, Kathleen Hart, David Hager, Thelma Wells and Beverly LaHaye -OR-

The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.

All of these are fabulous books that I have read and would recommend to any of you!

So, leave me a comment and tell me what you think about reading an elementary level blog!

Sunday, October 12, 2008

I wish you had been with us tonight. I really do, because no words I write here could ever truly express my experience from tonight. It makes me think of a song that our volleyball girls sing during warm-ups... (think camp songs, think harmony, interesting harmony)

Fill up my cup and let it overflow,Fill up my cup and let it overflow,Fill up my cup and let it overflow,Let it overflow with Love!

Tonight, our church hosted the local Baptist Association's Annual Worship and Praise gathering. Most churches in the Association 'move' their evening service to the host church. The Association does this once every year...tonight it was our turn. I wish you had been there --you would have been blessed.

We don't normally participate in this type thing, but since our church was hosting and Mr. Fix-It was encouraged to go by a friend and a Sunday School teacher, he deemed it worth the gas for the extra trip to town. I was kind of surprised --but was happy to go.

We walked in to a packed church and immediately saw two dear friends (who we met when we used to go to church with them at another church). So we sat down with them and the service started immediately (I think our Minister of Music was just waiting for us to arrive so he could start! LOL!) The choir loft was packed with probably 100 men and women from various churches and the Praise Team led worship. And I mean WORSHIP!!! We started out with Days of Elijah. Wow! No doubt the Spirit was alive and well in that place. Then after a few formalities, we sang Shout To The Lord and Standing On The Promises. Wow! My tears well up just thinking about it!

The choir sang a beautiful song called Lord, You're Holy that I had only heard once (this morning during the regular worship service). Think Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir --yes, it was that good. Is it okay if I say "WOW" again? With the added voices it was better tonight than it was this morning. I really liked that you could understand nearly every single word...sometimes with choir music that doesn't happen. Awesome!

The speaker for the meeting was Dr. Ted Traylor from Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida. Sorry, but he gets a double-WOW! Whew! He wore me out. When we weren't laughing, he was walking all over my toes. I'll try really hard to tell you the gist of his message...but you really had to be there. No doubt in my mind, God was there and speaking through this man.

Dr. Traylor started by reading Proverbs 14:4

Where no oxen are, the manger is clean,But much increase comes by the strength of the ox.

Have you ever thought about this verse? I wish I could explain it exactly like Dr. Traylor, but he quoted his Ryrie study notes (after explaining that what is on TOP of the line is the infallible Word of God and what is written below the line is somebody's opinion and you'd best not get that mixed up!). Mr. Ryrie said something like if you want milk, you've got to be willing to shovel manure. You can't get milk without the cow...and cow's are...ummmm...messy.

He also spoke from Acts 11:19-26 about the birthplace of the church. We're so far from that model here in the good ol' U.S. of A. He went on to point out the characteristics of a church with Vision and Victory like the church in Antioch. These characteristics included:

1. A preaching church. Where the Word of God is rightly divided and preached at every program and service. Also, each Christian needs to be preaching the Word in their daily lives. We sure can't wait around for the preacher!

2. A welcoming church. This church must welcome all sinners...even if they look different from us. Duh! The Christians in Antioch brought together the Greeks and the Jews. I bet they sure had some fireworks! This might be where you need to shovel a lot of manure --mostly from the Pharisee's that are already members! Amen?

3. A teaching church. Where God's Word is preached we have to be willing to disciple and encourage each other to live as Christ.

4. A forgiving church. Refer to #2 and how we can't let petty things divide God's people. There was a lot more on this...but I can't remember the other points, I was too busy shoveling out my own heart. This was powerful.

5. A caring church. Social work without the Gospel is meaningless. But including the Gospel in our social work is more powerful than you can imagine! If the church truly fulfilled its role in loving people, we wouldn't need socialist government programs.

6. A changing church. Whew...this can really get on some toes! Who likes change? How often do we hear "'Cause we've ALWAYS done it that way!"? The church had better be willing to change if God says to change.

7. A praying church. How could we change our world if the Body of Believers joined together in true prayer?

So, from my muddled explanation, can you understand how painful, yet, exciting this message could be? Can you tell I'm filled up to overflowing? I needed that tonight. Wish you were there. How exciting to see God move among believers. Hmmm....makes me want to get busy shoveling some manure!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

The last two days have been quite busy around Lonesome Pine and the next few will only add to the fun and frenzy!

Since Tuesday...hmmm...what's been going on?

The transmission out of my van has been taken to the Transmission Rehab Center in Quincy. Hopefully, within the next week or two it will be totally healed and ready to get back in gear! (Pun intended!) Having to carpool with Bex is really getting old--for both of us! After driving the 'new' van over to the Mr. Fix-It Hospital, I realized how much different and better driving a van is...rather than a midget car. I miss it--but I will continue to patiently wait.

My job is going great. I've pretty much worked myself out of it already! We're having trouble coming up with enough to do to keep me busy (thus, my frequent days off!). The work is very interesting...but my "attention to detail" seems to have abandoned me in my old age. Maybe its just rusty and can be polished to a bright gleam again...we'll have to wait and see.

Having something else to do seems to have improved my memory about other things, though! I've been able to get some church things done --without-- Ms. Nagger bugging me. Of course, maybe she's just given up?

A few other things I've been remembering...things on my grocery list. You may say "but if its on the list, how could you forget it?" Well, dear reader, you must surely not know me very well. I could probably forget something if it were tattooed on my forehead! I call it my "half-heimers" -- I'm only half gone....not ALLLLZHEIMERS.

Back to the grocery list. I told Bex, I'm only going to run into Publix for a few necessities --those on my list. Yes, I know...promises, promises... I get home, so proud that I've purchased EVERYTHING on my list (plus about 20 other things that were ON SALE!!). BUT --I get home without bread. Do you put bread on your list? I don't. I NEVER go to Publix without buying 2 things -- Milk and Bread. We go through these things FAST! So I always have extra on hand. It's a given -- grocery store = milk and bread!

Unfortunately, we had already used the last loaf out of the freezer (knowing I was going shopping Wednesday after church). So when I got home and started unloading groceries, I realized I had zero, none, nada left for the sandwich I was hankering after. So, I had to actually eat a SALAD for supper...bummer!

Today was a long day at work...then off to Bex volleyball practice. Tomorrow starts the Regional Tournament for our conference. Our conference has two sides --East and West. We are part of the East side. The cool thing is that our team is hosting the tournament this year! Wahoo! This is the first time I remember it being here.

The top two teams from this weekend will play in the Final Four Tournament next weekend in Bainbridge, GA. At that tournament, the top 2 east teams play the top 2 west teams to crown the conference champion. We are hoping that final champion will be US!

The following weekend (after the 2 tournaments) me and Bex will be headed to the beach for our annual fun weekend with several of my sister-in-laws and nieces. We call it the G-Girls weekend, because even though all our names aren't the same -- they all start with G! Aren't we clever?

Our beach weekend will be a time to relax and recharge in order to be ready for a busy week at the NACA National Volleyball Tournament in Dayton, TN. We're in a frenzy of fundraising right now trying to raise enough money to pay for the team to go. Raising $4,000 in 3-weeks is not for the faint of heart!

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

For those of you who asked, Yes! I'm still here. I didn't work today and I'm pretty bummed that I got very little done. I think I expended too much energy last week on the refrigerator...so today was spent recuperating. And if you believe that....here are the...

Top Ten Things I Didn't Get Done Today!

10. Take a Nap. (Didn't sleep late either. Not sure why, I had plenty of time!)

9. Make Bread for Mr. Fix-It. (I had all the ingredients...just not the gumption.)

8. Clean Off My Desk. (I actually ADDED to the stack.)

7. Get Dressed. (Aren't shorts and a tank-top good enough?)

6. Put Shoes On. (FlyLady would be ashamed of me.)

5. Laundry. (I didn't put the first load of clothes in the washer...Bex job...but I usually help.)

4. Have supper ready when Mr. Fix-It came home. (I didn't even start it until he called to say he was on the way! Doesn't everybody have supper at 9:30pm?)

Friday, October 3, 2008

This little girl is now 16 years old. It's hard to remember when she was this small. I LOVED those years.

Yes, the picture was STILL on the refrigerator after all these years. (The fridge was newer when she was this age!)

I miss those cute little dresses! She won't wear anything cute like this now! She's thinks that would be stupid. Okay...maybe she has a point.

This magnet has bittersweet memories, too. BB (before Bex) I worked in an office with about 5-6 women. This would mysteriously appear in your office depending on who the boss was mad at that day. I got it a LOT! I guess that's why it retired with me. Remember this, Cynthia?

Other than missing a couple of the people I worked with...I don't miss this at all! But I keep this magnet to remind me of what NOT to do--in a lot of areas.

This is a picture of Bex (R) and her bestest friend at Ms. Sandra's house. Remember, Ms. Sandra had "The Princess Bedroom!"

These two were the bestest friends for a lot of years...until the last few, actually. They're still friends, but they are each chasing different dreams now and have grown apart.

Kind of sad. I miss those days.

Did I mention I feel old?

Enough bittersweet and sad.

This was my motto when I had two teenagers in the house. Babies are easy...try having two teen girls with Learner's Permits!!!!

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Yesterday, I revealed another hopeless addiction I have. Clutteredrefrigeratordooraholicism. I think this word will really catch on one day! Don't you?

Did you read my post yesterday and look at the accompanying BEFORE pictures? If not...click here. Go ahead, read it...I'll wait.

...tap, tap, tap...

Oh, good. You're back. Now, yesterday I posted the BEFORE pictures of my refrigerator door. You all must have really lifted my terrible addiction up before the Lord, because today I actually cleaned it allllllll off and culled quite a few things.

Here are the things I took OFF the door.

{Insert trumpet fanfare}

TA DA!

This is what the refrigerator looks like totally cleaned off.

It has absolutely NO personality. It's boring, even.

Sorry, but I'm not THAT reformed.

So here is the door AFTER I perked it up a bit. I have only put things back on the top part of the door. The lower portion remains...ummm...blah.

By the way, the tomato and apple magnets were wedding gifts -- 26 years ago! I ditched the banana because it was too dirty to rehabilitate.

Each of these magnets have a story. Don't yours?

I couldn't resist at least some pictures of nieces and nephews ...hmmm... my oldest brother's kids seem to be missing...I'll have to work on that!

If you happen to notice the tape on the ice dispenser...well...that's Mr. Fix-It's way of ... ummm... fixing it. (I'm sure MamaWeso understands!)

Here's a side picture. Yes, I removed the vacuum cleaner belt and filters...just for Bex! The magnets that are left have sentimental value for one reason or another...but I guess that's a whole 'nother post!

I probably ought to move the measuring cups to my (non-existent) baking cabinet but they work just fine right here.

These are some of the magnets that didn't make the cut. Funny, the U used to have at least 25 other friends...not sure why this one survived all these years! The cow would have survived the cut since Bex made it...but it never did actually stick...and Rudolph lost his eye somewhere.

The little picture frame has been on the door for years...never did have a picture. But it was just so cute!

See the business card under the banana? This is for a dentist we have never used. I have no clue how he got onto my refrigerator door!

By the way, these are all up for grabs. I put them in a ziploc for some reason...not sure why. Maybe I should have a giveaway like Pioneer Woman...okay, maybe not.

Yes, I know I'm getting older by the minute (and you are too, if you're still reading!)...but do I have to FEEL so old?

Once again, I can read your mind here, my dear readers --all three of you--you're asking "What in the world is making you feel so old, Meggy-girl?" You WERE thinking that...weren't you? I KNEW IT!!

If you said "NO" then you can just go on to your next little bloggy spot! You must not care about my mental health...which is getting older as we speak!~~or as I type!

Here's the scoop. I just spent the past couple of hours (in between chores, cooking, laundry and such) reading posts from Shannon's blog over at Rocks in My Dryer. Today's Works for Me Wednesday is dedicated to Kitchen Organization Ideas. That sounded pretty interesting to me. I like doing things easier and cheaper. I was racking my brain about what I could post to add to the list...but nothing really jumped out at me. My kitchen and I only have a polite acquaintance anyway...so I'm not really qualified to post any brilliant ideas.

So, as I'm reading all these posts -- I kept reading the bio's of the posters. I am not exaggerating here... Out of 250+ posters I don't think but 3 of them were over the age of 25! All these gals with little babies, lots of diapers, bottles, etc. Lots and lots of baby pictures!!!! (I'll admit most were really, really cute!)

Don't older women have ideas about the kitchen? Or do we just not have a clue? These gals had their pantry's so organized there would be no way to lose that can of mushrooms I've looked for time after time. (I finally found it...about 2 years later...I KNEW it was in there!) You should see their Tupperware-enhanced cabinets. Is this really legal? Oh! And would you believe they actually have a BAKING CABINET? Really! They put all their baking stuff together in ONE cabinet. Doesn't this take the fun out of the scavenger hunt...where is that Baking Powder? Where is their sense of adventure?

Then I happened upon a post by a young lady who had a clean refrigerator door. I'm SURE this is verging on insanity. (Yeah, a little bit of refrigerator-door-envy here...) Here is a picture of mine. I promise I did not move even 1 thing before taking this picture...I probably should have gussied it up a little...

[IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are a neat freak (you know who you are)...just turn away from the computer right now. Do NOT look at the pictures. They might cause permanent brain damage.]

Oops! I meant to crop out the TOP of the refrigerator...I don't want to be THAT transparent, here. I've found that all the clutter really cuts down on how often I have to clean it. Dirt and grime would never have a chance getting underneath this! Isn't the refrigerator door THE place to keep your automobile insurance card? I love having pictures of all my nieces and nephews (from birth through college) out so that I don't have to think about scrap-booking them. Of course, I can't throw out any of those magnets, either...I might need them some day. (I did actually use a bunch of them for a Women's Ministry event once...6 years ago!) Some of the artwork on the door is many years old...I can't seem to part with it...

The clutter even bleeds over onto the side.

Oh! Are you supposed to throw away those magnetic calendars that are 3 years old? What about old magnetic FSU schedules? Come on, you're saying that you don't keep your vacuum cleaner belts on the side of the refrigerator?

So now you know another of my secrets. I'm a cluttered-refrigerator-door person.

Are there any Refrigerator-Clutter-Anonymous meetings out there? Is there any hope for this addiction?

It's old age. I tell you. OLD!

Stay tuned.

P.S. After posting these beautiful pictures...I actually LOOKED at the refrigerator door...with more than my usual cursory glance. All I can say is, I am SOOOOO thankful you can't see how filthy the door actually is. I hadn't noticed....wonder why? Since I'll be home again tomorrow, maybe I'll feel froggy and actually clean it...maybe even show you an "After" picture? Pray for me to feel froggy! Really.